Mobile, wireless communication devices have become ubiquitous in the everyday life of consumer and workers. While initially designed to replace the standard telephone, devices now have similar, if not more functionality than desktop computers. For example, in addition to telephone service and email, today's devices allow users to capture images and video, use complex applications, play games, and purchase goods and services.
These mobile devices and communications networks that support them have long been used to deliver information relating to businesses to end users. Such information includes, among other things, directory information and information relating to products and services such as, for example, advertisements of various types. Many mobile communications networks are additionally aware of end-users' geospatial location in real-time, as well as users' demographic information and online activities, and can use this information to target advertisements to a consumer.
However, most purchases and activities are driven first by a consumer, either as part of a deliberate action (looking for a particular item at a particular store) or on impulse (a consumer walks by a store or item and decides to buy it). Moreover, conventional mobile-based advertising is “static” in that an advertisement or other content is delivered to the user, but the user has no ability to manipulate, navigate or otherwise interact with the content. What is needed, therefore, are techniques that allow consumers to impulsively initiate actions and purchases using their mobile devices based on their immediate physical surroundings and do so in an interactive manner.